All-weather street and road maintenance vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle with a self-contained cooling and heating capability and a tenting feature for sheltering and controlling the temperature at a given location. Warm air is directed out of a heat chamber through a telescopic tube arrangement which may be horizontally piovoted for improved heat direction. The tube arrangement may also be vertically tipped upwardly and downwardly to maximize directional control of heat output. Heat for melting snow may thereby be directed to specific locations. The tenting arrangement provides elevated and focused heating and little heat waste.

I claim:  
     
       1. An all-weather street and road maintenance vehicle with a self-contained cooling and heating capability and a tenting feature for sheltering and controlling the temperature at a given location, comprising: 
       a vehicle with a chassis mounted upon front and rear axles supporting front and rear road wheels, said chassis having a front, a rear, and two opposing sides, said front and rear defining a vehicle longitudinal axis, said opposing sides defining a transverse axis, said chassis having a plurality of longitudinally extending beams coincident with the longitudinal axis of the chassis and supported on said axles, and cross members coincident with the transverse axis of the chassis and connecting the beams, a foremost cross member comprised of a front bumper and a rearmost cross member comprised of a rear bumper;  
       a front driver's cab mounted on said chassis adjacent said front bumper, said front driver's cab having a plurality of vehicle ignition, steering, throttle, and braking controls;  
       an air outlet unit mounted on said chassis adjacent said rear bumper;  
       an equipment and control cab mounted on said chassis and longitudinally positioned between said front driver's cab and said air outlet unit;  
       a first longitudinal gap between said front driver's cab and said equipment and control cab; and  
       a second longitudinal gap between the said equipment and control cab and said air outlet unit.  
     
     
       2. A vehicle as recited in  claim 1 , wherein: 
       said equipment and control cab has a front wall, a rear wall, two opposing sides interconnecting the front and rear walls, a roof and a floor, said walls, sides, roof and floor defining an equipment and control cab interior, said opposing sides having a plurality of doors for access into the equipment and control cab interior, said walls and sides having a vertical height exceeding a vertical height of the front driver's cab.  
     
     
       3. A vehicle as recited in  claim 2 , wherein: 
       said equipment and control cab interior contains a fiberglass air tunnel with a forward end terminating in an open air scoop formed in the equipment and control cab front wall adjacent the control cab roof and positioned vertically above the driver's cab, said fiberglass air tunnel having a screen adjacent the air scoop, said tunnel having a plurality of intake fans within a tunnel interior immediately rearward of the screen, said tunnel extending through the control cab interior adjacent the control cab roof and terminating in an open outlet in the control cab rear wall, said open outlet being interconnected to the air outlet unit.  
     
     
       4. A vehicle as recited in  claim 3 , further comprising: 
       a power turbine within said equipment and control cab;  
       a plurality of hot water heaters powered by said turbine;  
       a plurality of hot water circulators connected to said hot water heaters;  
       a plurality of radiator pipes connected to said circulators and attached across said tunnel open outlet.  
     
     
       5. A vehicle as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the air outlet unit is comprised of: 
       a heat chamber having a forward wall, a rearward wall, two opposing side walls interconnecting the forward and rear walls, a top and a bottom, said walls, top and bottom defining a heat chamber interior, said heat chamber forward wall having an opening formed therein and interconnected by ducting with the central cab outlet, said heat chamber top having an opening formed therein, said heat chamber interior having a fan mounted therein and positioned to blow heated air out through the top opening; and  
       a telescopic ejection tube apparatus attached to said heat chamber, said tube apparatus having a caster bearing, with a central opening, fixedly attached on the heat chamber exterior about the top opening, said caster bearing central opening being coincident with the heat chamber top opening, said tube apparatus having a spring collar mounted onto the caster bearing over the caster bearing central opening.  
     
     
       6. A vehicle as recited in  claim 5 , wherein: 
       the ejection tube apparatus has a telescoping tube mounted on and pivotally attached to said caster bearing spring collar, said caster bearing adapted to horizontally pivot thereby pivoting the tube, said caster bearing being driven by a motor mounted on the heat chamber top and electrically connected to and controlled within the equipment and control cab.  
     
     
       7. A vehicle as recited in  claim 6 , wherein: 
       said telescoping tube having a proximal end, a distal end, and a cylindrical side wall defining a tube interior, said cylindrical side wall having an opening formed therein near to the tube proximal end, said opening providing direct access to the tube interior, said tube opening beings coincident with the heat chamber top opening.  
     
     
       8. A vehicle as recited in  claim 7 , further comprising: 
       a deployable canopy section attached to the tube distal end.  
     
     
       9. A vehicle as recited in  claim 8 , wherein: 
       the canopy section is comprised of two elongated attachment elements each adapted for attachment to a side of the tube side wall adjacent the tube distal end, each attachment element having a plurality of plastic strips extending therefrom.  
     
     
       10. A vehicle as recited in  claim 9 , further comprising: 
       a plurality of pistons on the caster bearing about the top opening, said pistons being interconnected to the tube arrangement, said pistons adapted to elevate and lower the distal end of the tube arrangement.  
     
     
       11. A vehicle as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising: 
       an exhaust fan attached at the tunnel opening outlet.  
     
     
       12. A vehicle as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising: 
       a variable speed blower fan attached within the tube distal end.  
     
     
       13. A vehicle as recited in  claim 12 , further comprising: 
       a plurality of lights attached to the tube distal end.  
     
     
       14. A vehicle as recited in  claim 13 , further comprising: 
       a video camera eye attached to the tube distal end.  
     
     
       15. A vehicle as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the air outlet unit is comprised of: 
       a chamber having a forward wall, a rearward wall, two opposing side walls interconnecting the forward and rear walls, a top and a bottom, said walls, top and bottom defining a chamber interior, said chamber forward wall having an opening formed therein and interconnected by ducting with the central cab outlet, said chamber top having an opening formed therein; and  
       a hollow box installed over the chamber top, said box having a forward wall, a rear wall, two opposing side walls and a top, the chamber top acting as a box floor;  
       a plurality of air conditioning units fitted into each box side wall, said air conditioning units adapted to draw air through the air tunnel and air outlet unit top opening;  
       two sets of four tent pistons attached on each side of the vehicle chassis, each set being comprised of one on the front bumper, one on the rear bumper, one in the first gap and the last in the second gap; and  
       a plurality of interconnected tents attached to said tent pistons and interconnected with said air conditioning units.  
     
     
       16. A vehicle as recited in  claim 15 , wherein: 
       each tent piston is connected to a pivotal bar arrangement comprised of an elongated base element fastened to a chassis cross member, each base element having an inside end and an outside end, said ends defining a longitudinal axis which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of a cross member, said base element outside end being that end attached adjacent the chassis side, said pivotal bar arrangement being further comprised of an elongated pivot bar having two ends, one a pivot end and the other a tent end, said pivot bar pivot end being pivotally joined to the base element inside end, each hydraulic tent piston being attached at one end to the base element and at the other end to the pivot bar.  
     
     
       17. A vehicle as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising: 
       a plurality of elongated and hollow aluminum extender pipes attachable to the pivot bar tent ends, each pivot bar having a radial flange stop element formed therein a desired distance from the pivot bar tent end, said extender pipes being attachable to the pivot bar tent ends up to the stop elements, said extender pipes having a diameter slightly greater than a pivot bar diameter and less than a stop element diameter.  
     
     
       18. A vehicle as recited in  claim 17 , wherein: 
       each tent has an external surface with looping adapted for engagement with the extender pipes.